


Blame it on the Rain

by Strawberry_Requiem



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Eloping, F/M, Fluff, Marriage Proposal, Secret Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-02-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22884916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawberry_Requiem/pseuds/Strawberry_Requiem
Summary: The Kingdom's armies are waylaid on the march to Enbarr in order to take the capital and end the war.And, as always, Dimitri and Byleth can't sleep and end up confessing more to each other than they anticipated.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 8
Kudos: 137





	Blame it on the Rain

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Twitter as @Queenofthisdick.
> 
> Thank you for reading!

It had been raining for three days.

  
The river they needed to cross to make their way to Enbarr had flooded, making it virtually impassable for the time being. This much rain was uncharacteristic for the season, but there was nothing they could do; there was no way they were marching a whole army across a flooded river. The Kingdom armies were only a day and a half from the Imperial capital, and could have laid siege to it by that time. Yet there they were, camped 5 miles outside some small hamlet that was barely big enough to necessitate a church of its own. 

Dimitri was anxious, and rightly so. He anticipated that their delay would allow Edelgard to fortify the city and bolster her forces. Most of his time was spent with Gilbert and Byleth, trying to think of ways to overcompensate for what they anticipated from her. They needed to be more than prepared, and the not knowing how she was going to match them is what worried him. 

It was about an hour shy of dawn and the rain finally let up long enough to necessitate a walk outside. Dimitri couldn't sleep, but then again, it was a constant struggle of his since childhood. The mud clung to his boots as he walked through their encampment, making wet sloshing sounds as he pulled them out with each step. 

Everyone was still asleep, or, he figured they had been until he heard another set of wet footsteps coming his way from in front of him. Instinctively, Dimitri reached for the dagger tucked into his belt. When the person stepped close enough for him to differentiate it as Byleth's figure, he eased up and tucked it back in.

"Going to attack me, Dimitri?" She asked dryly. He knew her well enough that she intended the remark as a joke. 

He smirked, "Can't be too sure when we're in the middle of a war, Professor."

Dimitri fiddled with the hilt of the dagger, tracing his fingers along the hand guard absently, looking for something to say, given she hadn't excused herself yet. "Couldn't sleep either?"

"Seems to be our shared affliction more often than not."

He nodded. "Then why don't we walk together? Better to have company, yes?"

They walked for a time, the only sound between them being the wet squelching of their boots in the mud. Dimitri didn't know what to say to her, he never did. Something about Byleth always took the words from his mouth and left him fumbling like a fool at scraps. It had been that way for a while, mind going blank when she wanted to talk, when they inevitably both wound up in the cathedral on sleepless nights and vowed to keep each other company until sunrise. But, there was something about Byleth that kept him coming back, kept him craving moments with her.

Dimitri knew what this thing was, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Yet, he didn't call it by its name. He couldn't. Not until after the war was won. Not until he was sure they both survived and he would have time to dedicate to it. 

They were a short way out of the encampment proper when he finally mustered up words enough to speak to her.

"I don't think I ever thanked you for everything you have done for me."

"Oh?"

"You have been there for me through everything. You saw me at my lowest and stood by my side throughout it. Your place in my life may have changed, but it has been consistent nevertheless. As my professor, my commander, my friend, my belov--"

Dimitri cut himself off, not realizing the slip of his tongue until her face went from its usual impossible to read blankness to a look of utter shock. It was still dark, and he could hardly make out the details beyond that, couldn't get a read on her beyond the wide eyes. He was already here, though. Already this far in. 

No time to back down.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and continued. 

"--Yes, I suppose that's right. My beloved. I had been waiting until after the war to tell you this, but given circumstances, given we might not live to see another day, I may not have another chance to say it."

"I love you too, Dimitri." Byleth said abruptly after he had finished.

Goddess, he wished it wasn't so dark. He wished he could meet her gaze properly. He wished he could have seen her expression moments before she fell into his arms and they kissed. 

They stood in that embrace for a time, him with his fingers under her chin, gently craning her head up so he could look at her completely and take her all in. Byleth felt so small and fragile in his arms, which betrayed everything she was on the battlefield. How her enemies fled from her in terror, knowing the legacy of the Ashen Demon. But here, now, she was nothing more than his beloved Byleth. 

Dimitri's heart was swelling in his chest from her confirmation that she had loved him as he had her. But, there was also great sadness there. They were at war, and despite their capabilities, he was terrified of the reality that this may have been all they would get to have together: one kiss in the dark while they were waylaid because of a flooded river. 

"We could marry after the war is won." He suggested, more trying to convince himself of the inevitability of their victory.

"Or, we could take one of the horses and ride to that church in the hamlet we passed before making camp here and marry today."

He couldn't tell if she was serious. "Surely we couldn't do that."

She touched a hand to his cheek; Dimitri practically melted into it, "Your father secretly married your stepmother. Why can't you secretly marry me? We go in, see if the priest would be willing to allow us to wed without knowing our names. We sign the license, get on with our lives. When the war's over, we have a big official wedding at Garreg Mach, but only we know we've been married for some time."

"My father did secretly marry my stepmother." Dimitri hummed thoughtfully. 

As much as he tried to convince himself they should wait, do the official ceremony at Garreg Mach, with fine raiments, and hundreds of guests, and all of Faerghus celebrating for a week leading up to and following, there was something charming there about being two nameless individuals standing before the goddess and laying their love bare before her. There was something charming about marching into Enbarr with his beloved wife at his side, not his Commander. There was something charming about getting to have her in his arms as his wife in a matter of hours, not months.

"Okay, let's get married. Today."

* * *

  
The sky was turning to a hazy gray when they made it back to camp to change into plainclothes and pick a horse. Dimitri quickly scrawled a note for Dedue, or whomever would come into his tent to make sure he had eaten, explaining that he and Byleth rode into town to do a bit of recon work and they would be back before sundown. 

They met by the makeshift horse corral. Byleth had a woolen shawl draped over her hair to conceal its color. Dimitri smiled and helped her onto the horse he had chosen for them; he couldn't find his favorite horse, which he found bizarre, but he chose one strong enough to carry both of them and didn't worry too much about it

Dimitri enjoyed the ride into town, moreso for having Byleth's weight against his chest. He would stop the horse occasionally, long enough to steal her kisses. Goddess, he had never been this excited for anything, but there he was with happy butterflies fluttering around in his belly and hands shaking from anticipation.

It was about an hour and a half before they made it to town. 

Byleth dismounted first, telling him she would go ahead to the church and speak with the priest about the wedding. Dimitri, meanwhile, would hitch his horse by the inn and wait for her word that they were to be wed. 

He dismounted after she was well on her way and led the horse by the reins to the inn, more than shocked to find his favorite horse hitched to the post when he got there. Dimitri nearly dropped the reins of the one he was leading, but he managed to remember himself and get it hitched before inspecting the horse to both make sure it was the missing horse and for injury.

"Horse thieves." Dimitri cursed to himself, running a hand along its flank. The wedding may have to wait; the thief would have to be reported to local authorities.

"Hey, get away from that horse!" 

From inside the inn, Dimitri heard yelling. He peered through the window, wanting a better look. The door shot open and out came…

...Sylvain?

"Leave that horse a--Dimitri? What are you doing here?" He looked just as confused as Dimitri felt. 

"I could say the same to you," he gestured at the horse, "when did you sneak off?"

Sylvain crossed his arms. "I wanted to sleep in a real bed for once, okay? I'm tired of sleeping in the shit and mud, so I took a horse and rode into town to have a bath and a warm bed."

Dimitri believed Sylvain, but he still set his expression in a look of frustration and disbelief. It was enough to cause the other man to shrink back slightly.

"Okay, so I paid off the priest, and he said he would perform the wedding no questions asked, we just have to find a wit--Sylvain?" Byleth was strolling up, tucking her coin purse into her dress when she noticed them. 

Dimitri's stomach dropped.

"Wedding? Wait. Wait. Did you two sneak off to get married? When were you going to tell anyone?"

"Your timing is impeccable, Sylvain, come with us, we need a witness." Byleth said. not addressing the question in the air. She instead took Sylvain by the arm and led him towards the church like a parent might their child. 

"You're really getting married? This isn't some sort of joke, and we're all going to get back to camp and everyone is going to laugh at me for believing you?" He glanced at Dimitri, "On second thought, the wedding sounds more believable."

"We really are getting married," Dimitri had finally found his words, "but we need you to keep this between the three of us for the time being."

Sylvain nodded. "Not a problem."

With Sylvain, they headed into the church. 

It was a small building, perhaps 2 or 3 rooms total. The whole structure was comprised of wood and there were four pews occupying the space prior to the pulpit, where the priest waited in a simple robe. It was lacking in religious iconography, had nothing he had grown accustomed to at Garreg Mach.There was nothing extraordinary about the building whatsoever, but Dimitri felt in his gut that it was right. Marrying Byleth here felt right. 

She dropped Sylvain's arm and grabbed Dimitri's, though her hold on him was more affectionate. He put his hand over hers to seal the contact.

"Is this your betrothed?" The priest asked Byleth, gesturing for Dimitri. She nodded. "Please, step forward."

Sylvain sat in one of the two front most pews and locked his hands between his knees.

"Dearly beloved," the priest started once they were standing in front of him, "we are gathered here today before the goddess to join this young man and young woman in holy matrimony."

* * *

  
Dimitri hardly remembered the ceremony, for what little it possessed in the way of frills and pomp. What he remembered, was how warm Byleth was, how beautiful she was in the early morning glow, how soft her lips were when they finally kissed after man and wife, how shaky his hand was as he signed the license that the priest had written up for them on the spot and notarized once both signatures, and the signature of their witness were present. 

But it was done, and Dimitri was floating on air. 

Sylvain said his goodbyes and left for the encampment, which Dimitri appreciated. He wanted some time to be Byleth's husband, to really be married before they had to go back and pretend like none of that had happened. 

They ate breakfast at the inn Sylvain had been staying at. Dimitri couldn't stop calling Byleth his wife at every opportunity. My wife would like a plate of whatever you are serving today, or my wife and I had only just rode into town this morning. By the time they were finished eating, he was certain the other patrons were sick of hearing about his wife. Dimitri didn't care, however. He was so happy that even the war seemed like a faraway concern for a different man. 

It was raining again by the time they left. Their horse whinnied and knickered unfavorably to getting wet, which did not bode well for a return trip to the encampment. Byleth attempted to calm it by running a hand along its flank and whispering softly to it, but it had no effect. 

Dimitri frowned. "I wanted to spend a little more time in town before heading back," before he had to go back to being King, and she, Commander, "but I suppose the weather has different plans for us."

He helped her back onto the horse, and after untying the reins, mounted.

* * *

  
They had only ridden for about ten minutes when the rain began to come down harder, hard enough that it felt like pinpricks on the skin. Their horse was even more uncooperative in this condition and would hardly hold its gait, even at Dimitri's urging. It would relent against his pull to follow the path, straying into farmlands and trying to make its way back into the village despite his efforts. So, they needed to find somewhere to wait it out.

Dimitri managed to coax the horse into an easy trot for a way, until they came across a small farm house and a barn. He looked to Byleth, who had been huddling against his form to shield herself from the rain as much as possible. Even so, she was almost as soaked as he was.

"Think we should stop and wait until this clears up a bit?" He gestured towards the barn.

"Couldn't hurt."

Dimitri hopped off the horse and did his best to lead it by the reins to the house. The horse was resistant, and it took longer than it should have, but they eventually made it to the modest porch, where an old woman was bringing in some linens she had hanging from the wooden bannister and cursing under her breath about how wet they had gotten.

"Excuse me, good woman?" He called out, getting close enough for the woman to hear him, but far enough that he was not a threat.

The woman turned an eye to him suspiciously.

"My wife and I found ourselves caught in this rainstorm with an hour ride left to our destination and an uncooperative horse. We were wondering if you could be so kind as to let us rest in your barn and wait out the rain for a while."

The woman grunted disapprovingly. 

Dimitri's spirits dropped, but he was determined to get them a place to rest. His wife shouldn't be soaked to the bone from travel. "Perhaps I could help you bring in your linens in exchange? While my--"

"--It's quite alright, Love. The babe will be fine."

He turned to Byleth, ready to question what she meant. Her hand was cupped over her stomach as if to say she was with child. They hadn't even consummated the marriage yet. Unless, she was lying to garner some sympathy with the old woman. 

She cast him a look that told him to play along.

"Alright. But you're still helping with the linens."

* * *

  
By the time Dimitri had made it to the barn after helping the old woman, Byleth had hitched and watered the horse and was working on stripping her soaking wet shawl so she could hang it to dry for a while. Her green hair clung to her face and neck, framing her beautiful face and giving him pause to stare a moment.

Once he had returned to his senses, Dimitri wrung out the loose bits of his clothing while contemplating if he should remove his boots and socks to let them dry a bit as well. "She asked me to fix a broken stool she had stored in here while I was helping her with the linens." he said absently, making conversation.

"She can wait," Byleth approached him, taking his face in both her hands; Dimitri marveled at how small they were in comparison to his own, "your wife needs you right now."

And, she kissed him.


End file.
